Techlicious Blog

US Ambassador Sworn in on Kindle

We are truly living in the digital era. This week, Suzi LeVine, the new US ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein, took her oath of office with her hand on a Kindle Touch. The Kindle was standing in for the US Constitution, and it displayed the first page of the 19th amendment, which allows women to vote.

This digital stand-in reflects an overall trend in books: ebook sales are rising dramatically faster than paper books. According to USA Today, digital books now account for 20% of all book reported by publishers.

Though this was the first time an ambassador was sworn in on a digital device, it was not the first time public officials have been sworn in using digital documents. In January, a Long Island official was sworn in using an iPad. And in February, a group of New Jersey firefighters did the same. In both cases, a Bible could not be located, while a digital stand-in could.